Career opportunities
Psychosocial Studies graduates often find employment in the welfare field and the voluntary sector.
A number of graduates have entered teaching – going straight onto doing a 1 year Postgraduate Certificate Education (PGCE). Other graduates have gone into fields such as market research and publishing, or have gone on to further study (MA, PhD), or working in local government as researchers and policy makers.
Completion of a certain combination of modules in the Area would assist anyone wishing to sit for membership of the Market Research Society. The diversity of job destinations of PSS graduates is certain to increase as the range of programmes offered becomes wider.
More details on what Psychosocial Studies graduates do with their degree can be found in the results of our graduate employment survey.
The Psychosocial Studies Graduate Survey
During the academic year 2000-01, one hundred PSS graduates from recent cohorts were contacted and returned a survey questionnaire designed to establish both what had happened to them since leaving the University of East London and also how useful they considered their experience to have been.
Key Findings
Numbers who found employment:
- 72% - Employed in paid work (80% of these are in permanent jobs).
- 15% - Involved in further study as their main activity.
- 4%- not working due to caring commitments (usually children).
- 7% were currently seeking work
Type of work
- 22% care and community work
- 17% administration/management
- 12% education and careers/occupational counselling
- 3-4% were employed in each of the following: government, research work or retail.
Further Study
- 30% of the graduates were involved in some kind of further study (two-thirds of these are doing postgraduate study).
- Most of those doing postgraduate study (two-thirds) are doing so at ‘old' universities (Cambridge , Birkbeck, Kings, Goldsmiths, Leicester, Bradford, Exeter , Brunel, City, Open) and the rest at ‘new' universities ( East London , Oxford Brookes, Greenwich , Westminster ).
- Most of those involved in other kinds of study were doing programmes related to their work (e.g. counselling, market research, personnel management).
Overall
- 92% thought that what they had learned in Psychosocial Studies had improved their career prospects.
- 90% thought that what they had learned in Psychosocial Studies had improved the quality of their lives.
